It is known from German Unexamined Laid-Open Application DOS No. 2,207,421 that 15.alpha.,16.alpha.-methylene-4-estren-17.beta.-ols possess valuable properties. Depending on the alkyl group in the 17a-position, they are hormones having pronounced androgenic or progestational activity.
These compounds are produced from 17.alpha.-hydroxy-.DELTA..sup.15 -steroids of the pregnane series by methylenation according to Simmons-Smith (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 80 [1958] 5323).
The pregnane side chain in the 17.alpha.-position is merely an auxiliary function for the introduction of the 17.alpha.-hydroxy-.DELTA..sup.15 -structure and for introducing the methylene group. After the methylenation, the side chain in the 17.beta.-position must be broken off again. The building and later removal of the 17.beta.-side chain render the conventional process complicated and uneconomical.
It is an object of the invention to provide novel steroids having a 17.alpha.-hydroxy-.DELTA..sup.15 -structure which do not contain a substituent in the 17.beta.-position. It is another object to provide a novel method for the production of novel 17.alpha.-hydroxy-.DELTA..sup.15 -steroids of the estrane series. Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.